Seattle scores a weekend of construction and sports

Three different closures bring delays, require fans a plan to get to/from Sounders and Mariners games

SEATTLE – As a couple of beloved sports teams take the field, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will hit the pavement for a weekend chock-full of important roadwork.

Preservation work on Interstate 5 in Seattle will occur at the same time as a project in the Montlake area from Friday night, Sept. 10, to Monday morning, Sept. 13. The closures allow crews to take advantage of dry weather before the end of this year’s paving season. Travelers in the area should plan ahead for increased congestion through the weekend, but especially around game time at Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park. People should consider their transit options or carpool if possible.

Revive I-5

• All southbound I-5 traffic will funnel through the collector-distributor at I-90 from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for as crew replace expansion joints.
• The I-5 Express Lanes will close from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday while crews replace 26 broken concrete panels.

Montlake construction

• The Montlake Bridge will close to vehicle traffic from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for the first of five scheduled weekend closures. Pedestrian and bicyclist access will be maintained on one side of the bridge during this first weekend but may be restricted on the following closures. 
• The work near SR 520 for this weekend is postponed, so all ramps to and from the highway in Montlake will remain open.

Sports in SODO

• The Seattle Sounders host Minnesota United at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lumen Field.
• The Seattle Mariners play the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.

Plan before hitting the road

Throughout the weekend, people traveling on I-5, SR 513 and SR 520 should plan ahead and allow extra time. When possible they should:

• Use alternative routes
• Use transit
• Travel before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
• Postpone trips

With the collector/distributor handling all the traffic through downtown, people can still get to the stadiums, but will need to allow extra time to travel. After the games, the ramps from I-90 to southbound I-5 will be open to help people get home.

Travelers can get real-time traffic information on mobile phones with the WSDOT Traffic app and by following the WSDOT traffic Twitter feed.

Hyperlinks within the release:

• Important roadwork: wsdotblog.blogspot.com/2021/08/plan-ahead-for-three-big-seattle-projects.html
• Revive I-5: wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i5/revive/home
• Expansion joints: wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i5/spokane-street/home
• Weekend closures: wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr513/montlake-bridge/home
• WSDOT Traffic app: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Inform/mobile.htm

WSDOT traffic Twitter feed: twitter.com/wsdot_traffic